ASI-led project aims to boost school nutrition and specialty crops

A new farm-to-school initiative, led by a UC Davis team,
will help provide children in three Northern California school districts
with the healthier school lunches called for in the recently passed
federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.

The Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis has begun
working with school districts in Oakland, Winters and Redding on a
participatory project to expand student access to local, seasonal fresh
produce; provide local markets for specialty crop growers; and help
integrate school food with nutrition education, school gardens and
classroom lessons. The institute received a $497,000 grant from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to develop the program.

The initiative will help those districts improve the nutritional
quality of cafeteria meals in order to promote health and address
childhood obesity, central concerns of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids
Act.

“Providing access to healthy school lunches is a vital part of
childhood nutrition, and this program will also help kids develop
lifelong healthy eating habits,” said project leader Gail Feenstra, the
food systems coordinator at the Agricultural Sustainability Institute.

ASI Food Systems Coordinator Gail Feenstra

The UC Davis team—which also includes Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr, Co-Director of the Center for Nutrition in Schools (UC Davis department of nutrition)—will work with the three school districts to
benefit more than 50,000 children by increasing the availability of
seasonal, local fruits and vegetables in school meals. In about
two-thirds of the schools in these districts, at least half of the
students receive free and reduced-price lunches.

“Right now, only about four in 10 California kids eat five or more
servings of fresh fruits and vegetables a day,” said Feenstra. “The
child nutrition bill paves the way for more healthful school lunches,
and our program will help connect schools with local farmers who grow
the fruits and vegetables that are an important part of healthful
meals.”

As part of the program, schools will work with community partners, UC
Cooperative Extension and the UC Davis team to design menus that
incorporate fresh, local produce. Ultimately, this project will develop
farm-to-school methods that can be expanded and replicated by school
districts statewide.

This fall, the USDA awarded $55 million in specialty-crops funding;
California received nearly $17.3 million, more than any other state.

The UC Davis grant will also allow California specialty-crop
producers to expand their market opportunities into farm-to-school
programs. California is the nation’s largest producer of specialty
crops, accounting for 40 percent of the nation’s specialty-crop
production according to the California Department of Food and
Agriculture. Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and
dried fruits.

About ASI:

Founded in 2006, the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC
Davis works to ensure access to healthy food and promote the vitality of
agriculture today and for future generations, through integrative
research, education, communication and early action on big, emerging
issues. The institute includes the UC statewide Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education Program, the UC Davis Russell Ranch Sustainable
Agriculture Facility and the UC Davis Student Farm. More information
from the institute is available online at: http://www.asi.ucdavis.edu.